


Shedding Old Patterns

by Telaryn



Series: Second Chances [8]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Humor, Dirty Talk, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Manipulation, Established Relationship, Family, Feels, M/M, Phil Coulson Needs a Hug, Post-Episode: s01e14 T.A.H.I.T.I.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-30
Updated: 2014-09-30
Packaged: 2018-02-19 09:25:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2383223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Telaryn/pseuds/Telaryn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint hasn't forgotten Coulson's turnaround on the subject of administering GH-325 to Skye, and while Nate and Faith might be willing to let some things stay secret - Clint is not so forgiving.</p><p>Also...he hasn't had any alone time with Coulson in forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shedding Old Patterns

Coulson exhaled softly, taking a moment to appreciate the sight that greeted him as he entered the powered down quinjet. Clint was sprawled in the pilot’s chair, clearly lost in thought – the fingers of one hand drifting idly across the console. His uniform was partially unzipped – showing just enough of his chest that Coulson could easily fill in the parts still covered by the skin tight fabric. “Do you know how many times I’ve thought about us being together in one of these?” His heart skipped a beat as Clint turned to look at him. “But…that’s not why you wanted to meet up here, is it?”

“No,” Clint admitted, smiling slightly. “But since you brought it up, I doubt you’ve thought about it as many times as I have.” Straightening up, he leaned forward, resting his arms on his thighs. “What happened down there?”

Coulson was frankly surprised it had taken Clint this long to broach the subject – he’d been waiting for the archer to say something ever since Simmons had declared Skye out of danger. “You’re not cleared for that,” he said, but even as the words left him he knew they weren’t infused with enough conviction to force Clint off the subject.

Predictably, Barton came to his feet, shaking his head. “Don’t start that crap with me,” he said hotly. “Don’t you _dare_.”

“Clint, you know as well as I do…”

He flinched as Clint’s temper exploded. “I _know_ that you’re probably not cleared for what goes on in that place. I know you broke in there without authorization, and I know after putting all of us on the wrong side of the company to save Skye’s life you came running into Medical screaming for us to stop.” Coulson saw Clint’s hands clench into fists at his side, but knew the odds of Barton lashing out at him physically were minimal.

“You saw something,” Clint said, his voice still faintly trembling with rage and fear. “What did you see?”

Memory of a mutilated blue corpse filled his thoughts, churning his stomach and making him want to collapse. _What did you do?_ he thought, not sure if the question was for him or for the man he’d thought he could trust with his life and his sanity.

He was suddenly so lost in a spiral of fear and shame that he missed Clint closing the distance that separated them. “Phil, please,” the archer said softly. “Talk to me.” He reached out and laid a hand on Coulson’s muscled forearm. “The look in your eyes – let me help. Please.”

He looked up, meeting the younger man’s storm-colored eyes. “I love you so much, you know that right?”

The last of the anger and fear bled out of Clint’s expression. “And you know that whatever you saw down there – whatever happened to you – nothing you can say is going to change how I feel about you.” Reaching out, he pressed his hand over the scar that covered Phil’s heart. Coulson shut his eyes briefly, feeling the tears start to flow. They’d come so far since finding each other again, but he knew Clint still carried more than his fair share of guilt for the wound that had nearly separated them for good.

Opening his eyes, he forced himself to look at Clint once more. “I don’t know what I saw down there,” he admitted finally, his voice thick with grief and fear. _What did you do to me?_ “I don’t know what it means, and every theory that makes even a dram of sense is more terrifying than the last.”

Clint let his hand fall away – crossing his arms over his chest. “So don’t deal with it alone. Let me help you, Phil. Hell, nothing you say at this point is going to scare me more than what I’m starting to imagine.”

That got a smile out of Coulson – he wondered if Clint had pushed him in that direction on purpose. “Okay, then. It probably wouldn’t surprise you to learn that GH-325 has alien elements to it?”

He could see Clint roll the information over in his mind and then the archer shook his head. “Not really. I would have said magic first if you’d asked, but that’s only because of hanging around Faith.” He paused. “Do you know which alien?”

It took Coulson a second to come up with an answer, because he was stunned at how matter-of-factly Barton was taking the news. Finally he was able to say, “Cree. There was a…” Memory of the mutilated corpse flared in his thoughts again. “…body. In a tank.” Tiny tremors began shivering across his skin. “Or what was left of a body.”

 _That_ rattled Clint. “Okay. I can see why Fury wouldn’t want that kind of information getting around.”

Coulson stared at his lover for another long moment. “Why isn’t this freaking you out more?”

Clint huffed out a quiet breath. “Well mostly because it’s not my body that’s been pumped full of alien DNA. Of course the same could be said for why you’re standing here at all.”

“Clint, we don’t even know what the side-effects could be from this! Are you willing to trust that Fury thought this all the way through?”

The archer laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous. That’s what he’s got you for.” The implication being that with Coulson potentially out of action for good Nick Fury might have been even more reckless than usual hung unspoken between them.

“Exactly,” Coulson agreed. “And then I go and make the same stupid, reckless move when it comes to Skye. She’s never going to forgive me when she finds out what I did.”

Clint drew up short at that. “You haven’t told her?” Coulson knew his reaction had spoken volumes when Barton rolled his eyes and laughed. “Of course you haven’t told her. You’re in uncharted territory, so you’re defaulting to what makes sense to you even when you just finished telling me how much it sucks that Fury kept all this from you!”

Put that way, Coulson was too embarrassed to even voice the argument he’d been about to put forth – the idea that Skye wasn’t cleared to know the details of what he’d done to her. _It’s the coward’s way out,_ he thought, knowing Clint would agree with him. “I need to tell her,” he agreed, dropping his gaze.

Warm, calloused hands enfolded his – their fingers automatically lacing together. “You need to let her decide how she feels about what happened,” Clint said gently. “She’s a smart girl – I think she’s going to be fine with it.”

Coulson glanced up again. “Would you be in her shoes?”

Clint nodded without any sign of hesitation. “In case you haven’t noticed, old man, I’m for anything that keeps us in this world and with each other.” Ducking his head slightly, he leaned in and kissed Coulson so thoroughly that Coulson’s head was spinning when he was finally able to breathe on his own again – and all the blood in his brain seemed to be heading south very enthusiastically. Clint hadn’t missed his body’s reaction either, because he asked, “Do you think we’ll be interrupted up here? Because I’d really like to show you how much I’ve missed you.”

Steering into the rather abrupt turn events had taken proved easier than Coulson thought it would. Hooking one hand at the back of Clint’s neck he grinned and said, “Why don’t you start by getting out of that uniform?”

Fin


End file.
